2011 Cell-Cell Fusion Gordon Research Conference and Seminar

描述(由申请者提供)：细胞-细胞融合戈登研究会议(GRC)将为来自广泛学科的科学家提供关于细胞融合在一些模式生物和各种疾病中发育过程中的功能的最新研究成果。重点将放在新兴的普遍机制和未来在癌症和干细胞研究中的应用上。这次研究会议将是第三次细胞-细胞融合GRC，它是GRC将于2011年组织的150多个会议的一部分，GRC是一个以会议的尖端性质而闻名的国际组织。自五年前会议开始以来，出席人数一直在稳步增长，2011年组织者预计将有140人参加。 2011年细胞-细胞融合GRC将于2011年8月7日至12日在密歇根州比德福德的新英格兰大学举行。本申请中描述的会议计划是围绕“性、生命、发育和疾病中的细胞融合”这一主题而设计的。主办方将主要讨论健康和疾病过程中细胞融合的基本过程，以及细胞融合与胞吐、内吞、病毒进入和胞质分裂过程中更大范围的膜融合和裂变的关系。 细胞融合界正在进入一个特别令人着迷的阶段，因为从理论分析和关于病毒进入和细胞内运输的研究中产生的融合的基本原理开始被应用于理解细胞-细胞融合在发育和疾病中的功能和机制。包括膜融合和裂变、卵子-精子融合、骨骼、肌肉、眼晶状体、干细胞、胎盘、罕见遗传病和病原体入侵细胞等重要过程，将在八个环节进行讨论。这一进展得益于经典和新的方法学，包括高通量筛选、模式生物(例如真菌、苍蝇、蠕虫和小鼠)的发育遗传学以及单分子生物物理方法。受邀的演讲者将介绍令人兴奋的发展，以及细胞膜融合的基本机制和应用的最新进展。此外，还将举行一场关于成肌细胞融合的圆桌讨论，这是一个激烈辩论的话题，将鼓励广泛参与和学术组织的讨论。 首届细胞-细胞融合戈登-凯南研究研讨会(GRS)将于2011年8月6日至7日举行。这一新的GRS由研究生和博士后研究员组织，GRS期间的活动将面向初级研究人员，目的是：(1)向他们提供关于膜融合在健康和疾病中涉及的机制的基本背景，以使他们最大限度地了解将在随后的会议上讨论的科学，(2)从该领域的专家那里获得对其正在进行的研究项目的反馈，以及(3)促进他们与该科学界的高级成员的互动，以促进该领域的初级和高级研究人员之间的网络联系。完全可以预期，本次会议与会者之间的科学讨论、研究演讲、海报会议和其他非正式互动将有助于增进我们对正常发育过程中细胞融合以及人类疾病中涉及的新分子机制的理解，并将为旨在发现这些疾病的新治疗方法的多学科项目的发展奠定基础。 简介：细胞-细胞融合戈登研究会议(GRC)和第一届姐妹会议戈登-凯南研究研讨会(GRS)将把不同科学学科的领导者与研究生和博士后研究员聚集在一起，构成新兴细胞融合领域的未来一代研究人员。GRC和GRS会议期间关于细胞-细胞融合的科学报告、讨论、圆桌讨论和研讨会都是为了扩大我们对膜在模式生物中融合机制的了解，并可能有助于我们理解性发育、许多器官的形成、癌症、干细胞生物学和罕见疾病的最初事件。细胞-细胞融合GRC的传统特点是令人兴奋、友好和多学科的氛围，这将为智力开发和实施突破性方法治疗某些癌症以及使用干细胞解决基本的生物学问题和疾病提供理想的环境。

DESCRIPTION (Provided by Applicant): The Gordon Research Conference (GRC) on Cell-Cell Fusion will provide scientists from a wide range of disciplines with the newest research findings on the functions of cell fusion in development in a number of model organisms and in a variety of diseases. The emphasis will be on emerging universal mechanisms and future applications to cancer and stem cell research. This research conference will be the third Cell-Cell Fusion GRC and it is part of over 150 conferences that will be organized in 2011 by the GRC, an organization internationally known for the cutting edge nature of its meetings. Attendance at the meeting has grown steadily since its inception five years ago, and in 2011 the organizers expect to have 140 participants. The 2011 GRC on Cell-Cell Fusion will be held August 7-12, 2011 at the University of New England in Biddeford, ME. The program for the meeting described in this application has been designed around the theme of "Cell Fusion in Sex, Life, Development, and Disease". The organizer will deal mostly on the fundamental process of cell fusion during health and disease as well as the relationship between cell fusion and the larger fields of membrane fusion and fission during exocytosis, endocytosis, viral entry, and cytokinesis. The cell fusion community is entering a particularly fascinating phase as the fundamental principles of fusion emerging from theoretical analyses and studies on viral entry and intracellular trafficking start to be applied to understanding the functions and mechanisms of cell-cell fusion in development as well as disease. Important processes such as membrane fusion and fission, egg-sperm fusion, formation of bones, muscles, eye lens, stem cells, placenta, rare genetic diseases, and the invasion of cells by pathogens will be covered in eight sessions. This progress is being helped by classic and new methodology, including high throughput screening, developmental genetics in model organisms (e.g., fungi, flies, worms, and mice), and single-molecule biophysical methods. Exciting developments will be covered by the invited speakers, along with the latest progress on the basic mechanisms and applications of cell membrane fusion in vitro and in vivo. In addition there will be one round table discussion on myoblast fusion, a hotly debated topic that will encourage wide participation and scholarly organized discussions. The first Gordon-Kenan Research Seminar (GRS) on Cell-Cell fusion will be held August 6-7, 2011. This new GRS is organized by graduate students and postdoctoral fellows, and the activities during the GRS will be oriented to junior investigators and are intended to: (1) provide them with the basic background on mechanisms involved in membrane fusion in health and disease necessary to maximize their understanding of the science which will be discussed in the subsequent conference, (2) receive feedback on their ongoing research projects from experts in the field, and (3) facilitate their interaction with senior members of this scientific community to promote networking between junior and more senior researchers in the field. It is fully anticipate that the scientific discussions, research talks, poster sessions, and other informal interactions among the participants of this conference will contribute to advancing our understanding of novel molecular mechanisms involved in cell fusion during normal development as well as in human diseases, and will set the basis for the development of multidisciplinary projects aimed at discovering new treatments for these disorders. NARRATIVE: The Cell-Cell Fusion Gordon Research Conference (GRC) together with the first sister Gordon-Kenan Research Seminar (GRS) will bring leaders in diverse scientific disciplines together with graduate students and postdoctoral fellows constituting the future generation of researchers in the emerging field of cell fusion. The scientific presentations, discussions, round table discussions, as well as workshops during the GRC and GRS conferences on cell-cell fusion are tailored to expand our knowledge on the mechanisms by which membranes fuse in model organisms, and may contribute to our understanding of the first events in sexual development, the formation of many organs, cancer, stem cell biology, and rare diseases. The exciting, friendly, and multidisciplinary atmosphere that has traditionally characterized the Cell-Cell Fusion GRC will provide the ideal setting for the intellectual development and implementation of groundbreaking approaches to treat some cancers, as well as use stem cells to address fundamental biological questions and diseases.